


Cowboy and Muñeca

by hangstzo



Series: McCree and Friends [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Brotherly Jesse McCree, Canonical Character Death, Fareeha is a Blessing, Fluff and Angst, Gabe is Very Stressed, Gen, Implied Ana Amari/Reinhardt Wilhelm, Implied Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison/Reaper | Gabriel Reyes - Freeform, Overwatch Family, Pre-Fall of Overwatch, this is mainly jesse and fareeha ok, well not really y'all know she aint dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-12-04 18:04:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11560509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hangstzo/pseuds/hangstzo
Summary: Gabriel regrets the day he volunteered Jesse to babysit Fareeha.Jesse thinks it was the greatest idea Gabriel ever had.Fareeha loves her stupid cowboy brother.





	1. Arcadian (adj.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Arcadian (adj.)**  
>
>> Idyllically innocent; simple and untroubled by fear or worry.

When Jesse joined Blackwatch, he assumed his missions would be exciting and action packed, the kind that would make a great story one day.

He did not expect to be babysitting.

Fareeha was the twelve year old daughter of Captain Amari, a woman Jesse both loved and was absolutely terrified of. He had seen her often, running around the base and pestering Gabe for sweets. He seemed to adore the girl and always had a little bag of sweets in his desk or in his pocket just for her. “Don’t tell your mother, _niña_ ,” he’d tell her as he gave her the bag, “she may well kill me.” Fareeha would giggle and run off, excitedly digging into her prize.

Before every mission, Jesse would meticulously check Peacekeeper and load his weapons. For this babysitting mission, he armed himself with sweets. He figured if Fareeha didn’t like him he could just give her a bunch of sugar until she crashed.

**(Jesse was excellent with kids)**

Ana, Gabe and Jack were going away to some kind of diplomatic meeting with representatives of Japan off base. Jesse figured Gabe had set up this babysitting thing to keep him out of trouble too. “We’ll be back by nine at the latest Jesse,” Captain Amari had told him, smiling down at him. “You can get dinner in the canteen. And make sure Fareeha doesn’t have any sweets.”

Jesse smirked and tipped his hat. “Yes, ma’am.”

Ana laughed at him and shook her head. “You charmer.” She turned to her daughter and kissed her hair, holding her head in her hands. “Bye _habibi_ , you be good for Jesse.”

“Muum, we’ll be fine,” Fareeha replied, hugging her mother. “Stay safe.”

**(Fareeha was mature for her age. Jesse assumed it was due to her mother being always on missions)**

**(It was really because Fareeha was terrified for her mother)**

After the door closed behind Ana, Fareeha turned to Jesse, her brown eyes seeming to stare straight into his soul. “You’re the cowboy.”

“Guess I am, little lady.” Jesse smiled at her but really he was very intimidated. The older Amari scared the shit out of him. He wasn’t going to underestimate the younger one.

Fareeha suddenly grinned, and wasn’t that just the cutest thing. “Like in the old movies? Mum doesn’t let me watch them but I reeeeally want to! Can you watch them with me?” She pointed at the holovid on the wall. “Please?”

Who was Jesse to not take up the offer of watching a good old-fashioned Western? “How can I say no to that?”

\---

When Ana returned to her quarters, she found her daughter curled up beside Jesse wearing his hat, both fast asleep in front of a blank holovid screen. There were various packets of sweets and pizza crusts littered around the sofa. “Ah children,” she whispered, walking over to pick up Fareeha. The girl stirred a little in her sleep but did not wake. Ana smiled and pushed her hair out of her eyes. “Bed time _habibti_.”

Gabriel poked his head through the door. “Jesse-oh, is he asleep?” He dropped his voice but it was too late as Jesse woke with a start. Bleary eyed, he stared at the adults in confusion. Ana nodded to him, her eyes kind. “Thank you for looking after my Fareeha, _sibi_.” Then, on second thoughts, she added, “Even if you did give her sweets. Here.” She handed him his hat back before carrying her daughter into her room.

“I uh, it was my pleasure ma’am.” Jesse stifled a yawn as he swung his legs over the couch and stood, putting his hat back on. He turned to Gabe. “How’d the mission go? Japan ain’t pissed at us no more?”

**(Japan were very pissed off at Overwatch. It was going to be more difficult than they thought to infiltrate the Shimada clan)**

Gabriel sighed and shook his head. “Listen _mijo_ , I’ve had a long day of politics. I’ll tell you in the morning. C’mon, you can’t sleep on Ana’s couch, get back to your quarters.” He put his hand on Jesse’s shoulder and led him out of the room. “You had fun with Fareeha though?”

“She’s jus’ as scary as her mama.”

\---

Within a month, Jesse and Fareeha had become fast friends. It wasn’t uncommon for them to be found giggling in a corridor before some poor unsuspecting agent walked into one of their pranks. They brought a kind of childish mischief to the base that had been previously been missing. Sometimes, Gabe lamented about how much he regretted volunteering the cowboy to babysit Fareeha that night but Jesse knew he liked seeing them. He sometimes even helped them with their pranks, strictly anonymously, by telling them where their main target was going to be.

**(Their main target? A certain strike commander)**

“Weapon checked?” Jesse and Fareeha were sitting in an empty boardroom, a box of water balloons in front of them. It was the girl’s turn to be commander of the mission and she was revelling in the role. She was the spit of her mother and still managed to scare him, even though she was currently wearing Captain Amari’s old Egyptian military hat that was slightly too big for her.

“Twenty balloons all accounted for, commander,” Jesse replied.

“Target’s last known location?”

“Intel says he’s in his quarters.”

“You understand your mission?”

“If target is asleep, dump balloons on him. If awake, throw ‘em.”

“Okay, remember your training and we’ll get through this just fine!” Fareeha was getting way too into the game. Their ‘training’ consisted of that one time all of Blackwatch got into a water fight on the hottest day of the year. Still, Jesse was going along with it. He lived to bother Morrison, no matter how many times Gabe got onto him about it. Fareeha was still going. “Do you have your comms unit?”

Jesse held up the walkie talkie. “Yes, ma’am.”

Fareeha nodded, almost bouncing with glee. “Then its time to move out, Agent McCree.” She stood and saluted him. Jesse returned the salute and hurried out, taking the water balloons with him. It was late and there weren’t many agents about. Ana was in Egypt on another diplomatic mission and Gabe was nowhere to be found. Even if he found out what Jesse was up to, he’d probably want to help.

“Jesse, are you approaching the objective?” Fareeha’s voice came through the old walkie talkie, sounding excited.

Jesse smiled, clicking the button on the device. “McCree reporting,” he said, “I’m walkin’ down toward the objective. We should go dark ’til the mission’s done, _muñeca_.”

“I’m the commander this time cowboy! But that sounds good. Over and out!”

**(Fareeha would be a good soldier one day, if her mother ever let her be one)**

As Jesse got closer to Morrison’s room, there were… _noises_ coming from inside. He froze in the middle of the corridor, trying to process what was happening. Suddenly there was a laugh, one he knew straight away, followed by a flurry of Spanish.

Gabe.

Gabe and Morrison.

**(In hindsight, this should have been obvious to him)**

“Jesse?”

Fareeha’s voice from the walkie talkie startled him and he quickly darted down the corridor, as far away as possible. He couldn’t let a _twelve_ year old overhear whatever was going on between his boss and the strike commander. “Uh, y’know what Reeha? M-maybe we should switch stuff up a bit.”

“What do you mean? Oh! Have you been compromised?” She dropped her voice to a whisper and Jesse nearly laughed.

“No, Morrison’s doin’… uh somethin’. Prob’ly shouldn’t interrupt him.” An idea came to his head and he smirked. “But y’know what _muñeca_ , Agent Lacroix came home today…”

Fareeha gasped, then giggled. “He’s in the canteen! New mission Agent McCree, infiltrate the enemy’s camp.”

“Understood, commander.”

**(He’d use this information against Gabe some day)**

\---

Fareeha enlisted into the Egyptian military when she was eighteen, despite her mother’s objections. They fought over it, something that always upset both of them. Her mum stalked off to Reinhardt’s room while she went into the opposite direction, heading to Jesse’s. In the several years since the cowboy had joined Blackwatch, the two had gotten close, and he was basically like the brother Fareeha had never had, but always wanted. He was always there with dumb jokes and terrible advice but gave the best hugs.

**(He’d been giving her tips to try and woo Angela for some time)**

“I don’t _get_ it Jesse!” She barged into Jesse’s room, starting as she meant to go on-ranting about her mother. “She went into the army when she was _seventeen_ , why’s she so annoyed about me joining?”

It looked like Jesse had just woken up. He was in boxers and an old t shirt which said _‘if you wear cowboy clothes, you’re ranch dressing!’_ , and was blinking at her, confused. “The hell Reeha, it’s three in the morn-”

“And she has the _nerve_ to tell me not to enlist! I can’t believe-she’s so-I don’t understand!” She lay down on the floor, muttering to herself in anger.

Jesse looked down at her and sighed, grabbing a pair of joggers and slipping them on. He lay beside her and pulled her into a hug. “Ana’s jus’ worrying ‘bout ya darlin’. ’S what mamas do.” He stifled a yawn and stroked Fareeha’s hair. “Not gonna lie, _I’m_ worried about you goin’ off to the army. I know it’s what ya want but you're like my sister.”

Fareeha smiled, resting her head on her hand and looking at Jesse. “And you’re my brother, cowboy.” She sighed. “I know she’s worried but I really want this. It’s safer than Overwatch, that’s for sure.”

**(None of them wanted to talk about the more dubious missions Blackwatch had been carrying out lately)**

Jesse poked her shoulder. “Ya gotta talk to her then _muñeca_. Like adults, ‘cause you’re one of them now. Though I still think you’re ‘bout fourteen.”

“Jesse!” She hit him back, smiling. “I am not fourteen. That was a terrible time for me.”

“I don’t know darlin’, that anime phase you went through with Genji was pretty darn hilarious.”

Fareeha gasped, scandalised. “If you dare say anything about that to anyone I’ll have you killed, Jesse McCree.”

Jesse snorted and sat up. “So I definitely shouldn’t tell a certain doctor then?” He was teasing her and she did her best to ignore him. But she could feel the blush rising in her cheeks and the cowboy grinned triumphantly. “P’haps Angie would like to know. Oh, an’ I have pictures!”

“I take it all back. I don’t want you to be my brother anymore.”

“Well, shucks Reeha. Ya sure know how to break a man’s heart.” Jesse smiled at her before yawning and running a hand through his hair. “Alright now darlin’, get up. If you’re not going back to your mama you can sleep in my bed. I’ll crash in Genji’s.”

Fareeha pulled a face, making a show of looking around the room in disgust. “With all this cowboy stuff? It would be like sleeping in a six year old’s room.” Now it was her turn to be teasing.

Jesse made an offended noise. “I have _one poster_ , Fareeha Toya Amari.”

"Yeah and it’s weird!" She couldn’t help the giggles as she stood up, dusting herself off. “You can stay in your bed tonight Jesse, I’m going back to mine, Mum’s with Rein anyway." She pulled him into a hug and kissed his cheek. "Thank you though.”

“My pleasure, Reeha. Now get out, I need my beauty sleep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRANSLATIONS  
> niña- Spanish, 'girl'  
> habibi- Arabic, 'baby'  
> habibti- Arabic, 'my love'  
> sibi- Arabic, 'boy'  
> mijo- Spanish, 'son'  
> muñeca- Spanish, 'doll'
> 
> Also, Fareeha's middle name is Toya which is a Native American word for 'woman of victory'.


	2. Tacenda (n.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>   
>  **Tacenda (n.)**   
> 
>
>> Things better left unsaid; matters to be passed over in silence

When Jesse was 31, he heard the one piece of news he had dreaded for most of his life. Captain Ana Amari was missing in action in Egypt and presumed dead. Morrison had left her behind when he and what remained of the team left. He had been sitting with Genji when Gabe came into the room to tell him.

“Jesse, you might want to call Fareeha,” he had said, sounding breathless. “Ana’s not on the plane home.”

“ _What_?” Jesse stared at him in disbelief, barely registering Genji’s hand on his shoulder. “What d'ya mean, she ain’t on the plane? Where is she?”

Gabe shook his head. “I’m sorry _mijo_. Ja-Morrison just called to let me know. She was trying to take out a sniper and her comm went dead. She told him to leave.” The older man looked shaken, exhausted, like he hadn’t been sleeping.

**(He hadn’t. Gabriel hadn’t slept since the UN tightened its control over the organisation)**

“You mean he left her behind?” Jesse was on his feet, furious. “How many times has Ana bailed him out? He can’t leave her!”

“Jesse, please,” Gabriel said, holding his hands up in an attempt the calm the younger man. “They’ll be back within the hour, go call Fareeha.” With that he left, heading back to the paperwork he had found himself buried in.

Jesse was shaking, terrified, and slumped back down into his seat. Ana had become almost like his mother during his time in Overwatch. Despite his age, she had increased her mothering of him since Fareeha left.

**(He didn’t mind. He hadn’t seen his own mama since he was thirteen)**

Ana had saved his life countless times by sniping an oncoming attacker. She had done that for everyone, Gabe and Morrison most of all. She was their best sniper, one of the best in the world. How could Morrison just leave her behind? How could he do that to Fareeha?

“Jesse.” Genji was crouched in front of him, head tilted in concern. “Are you okay?”

“No, I-Shit, I gotta call Reeha.” He stood and pushed Genji aside, rushing down to his room. He hadn’t talked to Fareeha in a while now, her schedule had been hectic since she was stationed in Libya. She had risen through the Egyptian army ranks, something Jesse was very proud of. Ana had also been so proud, it was all she had talked about for at least a week. She kept a picture of her daughter in her military fatigues on her desk.

It took Jesse several minutes to muster up the courage to phone Fareeha. How do you tell someone their mother is MIA? Eventually he managed to dial the number, praying she wouldn’t pick up.

She picked up after the first ring. “Hey cowboy! I’ve been meaning to ring you for _ages_ but I just haven’t had the time. How are you? How’s mum and everyone?”

“Reeha…” Jesse rubbed his jaw. He didn’t know what to say, let alone how to say it. 

**(Fuck, he just had to come out with it)**

“Ana’s been… they lost contact with her in a mission. Morrison had to go without her. Reeha darlin’ I’m _so_ sorry.”

There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds and then a shaking breath. “Wh- _what_? What do you mean?” Jesse was about to answer when a heaving sob cut him off. “She can’t. She can’t be _dead_!”

Jesse bit his lip, wanting nothing more than to be by her side. “She’s MIA right now Reeha, there’s still hope. Gabe’s gonna get a team out to Egypt, we’ll find her, promise.” Well he hadn’t said that exactly but he was damn sure he was gonna make him. “We’ll bring her home _muñeca_.”

Fareeha was crying softly. “She was s-supposed to call me tonight… She can’t be dead, I’d know it. I’d _feel_ it!” She had always had weird premonitions about things. It was her who had texted Gabe when Jesse had lost his arm, telling him to find him. She had been one of the first to raise the alarm about Null Sector, before it had even happened. She was always right. 

**(She had also once told Jesse to stop smoking or he'd hurt himself. The next time he had a cigarette, he’d been too preoccupied lighting it and fallen down the stairs)**

“Jesse?” Genji was standing in the door, face plate off and looking concerned. “Commander Morrison is back.”

**(Good, Jesse was going to break that bastard’s nose. He’d done it before and he’d do it again)**

“Can you gimme two ticks Gen?” he replied, pointing at the phone. Fareeha’s sobs were louder now, more heartbroken. Genji winced and nodded, before darting back out of the room. Jesse went back to his sister. “Reeha, I don’t have anythin’ to say that would make this better. D’ya think you could get to Egypt? We can look together if you want.”

Fareeha took a deep, shaking breath. “O-okay.” She sounded so goddamn _small_. Jesse hadn’t heard her this upset since… well, he hadn’t ever heard her this upset. She sniffed, then sighed, “I have to go, I’ll need to ask my commander for leave. I’ll see you soon Jesse.” She hung up.

Jesse slumped down against the wall, hat down over his eyes, and began to cry.

\---

Ana's funeral was a quiet affair. Fareeha had insisted on helping carry the heartbreakingly light coffin. She walked alongside Jesse, gripping his shoulder tightly as if he was the only thing keeping her standing. He did the same in return. Gabriel and Jack, his nose still bent out of place from Jesse's punch, walked behind them, along with Reinhardt, who was quietly crying. 

**(They hadn't found a body. Fareeha had placed her mother's military beret inside it, unable to bear looking at it)**

When her mother's coffin was lowered into the ground, Fareeha couldn't look. She moved to Jesse's side and buried her head in his shoulder. He sighed and pulled her close, stroking her hair with his prosthetic. He was dressed in a plain black suit, but had pinned an _udjat_ to the lapel. For once, he wasn't wearing his hat. Other people, including Fareeha, were dressed in their ceremonial military outfits. She hated it. She wanted to wear blue, her mother's colour, Overwatch's colour. But they hadn't let her. She wore blue shoes instead, they clashed with the ceremonial uniform but she didn't care. Jesse was wearing a blue tie and the sight of it had brought tears to her eyes. 

**(A tiny part of her was thinking she could join Overwatch now her mother wasn't there to stop her)**

**“** When I lost my arm,” Jesse was talking softly, still stroking her hair, “Ana found me. I was in a bad way, stuck under a bunch of rubble ‘nd shit. She saved my life. Woulda bled out if she hadn't been stubborn enough to come get me. Kept me awake an’ stuck those damn things in me to stop the pain.” He sighed. “Never got to thank her.”

Fareeha looked up at him, this man she had basically adopted as her brother. He looked exhausted. “I remember that,” she replied, her voice hoarse. “Mum worried about you for a whole week, kept trying to go to medical but Angela kicked her out. You were delirious for ages.” She laughed softly. “She made you soup.”

Jesse smiled. “Damn good soup.”

When the grave had been filled and the final words had been said, people began to leave. Morrison gave Fareeha a quick hug on his way, mumbling, “I can’t tell you how sorry I am,” before hurrying on. Gabriel squeezed Jesse's arm and pressed a bag of sweets into Fareeha's hand, before kissing her forehead and following Jack. Reinhardt was one of the last to leave. He had stared at the grave for ages before he seemed to come back to his senses. He wrapped her in one of his big bear hugs, a giant hand on her head. “She was so proud of you, Fareeha,” he told her, voice uncharacteristically quiet, “we all are.”

**(Out of everything that had been said to her, it was Reinhardt who made her cry)**

Then it was just Fareeha and Jesse left, standing at a grave with an empty coffin underneath it. They stood for almost hour in silence, in their own graveside vigil, until it began to rain. 

“We’ll come see you soon Mum,” she choked out, crouching beside the grave. “I’ll bring you flowers. A proper lotus, you like those.”

Jesse rested his hand on Fareeha's shoulder and cleared his throat. “An’ I don’t know much ‘bout flowers, ma’am, but I'll look after yer girl for ya.”

“I don't need looking after, cowboy.” Her complaint was quiet, half hearted. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. 

**(She'd blame the rain)**

**“** Shush _muñeca_. ‘S what brothers are meant to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is more of an epiloguey thing. It's not really connected to the rest of the story but vaguely explains how Fareeha joined Overwatch. But it does feature everyone's favourite cowman!


	3. Quatervois (n.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ** Quatervois (n.) **
>
>> A crossroads; a critical decision or turning point in one's life.

 It had taken Jesse a few weeks to answer Winston’s recall. Rejoining Overwatch brought back memories he didn’t like to think about. He’d left a couple of months before everything went to shit and it had been one of the hardest things he had ever done. Gabe seemed almost relieved when he told him and sent him on his way with a large sum of money and the promise of “when this shitshow is over _mijo_ , we're having lunch somewhere fancy.”

**(When the Swiss base fell, Jesse stared at the list of dead until it was imprinted on his eyes. He spoke at Gabriel’s funeral)**

**(He blamed the tears on the rain)**

Eventually, Jesse replied and found himself on the next boat to Gibraltar. He did his best to keep a lower profile than usual. His hat and Peacekeeper were stashed in his bag, hidden but still easily accessed if something was to go wrong. There weren’t many other people on the vessel, they were mainly tourists taking photos. One small boy looked ill and he decided to try and stay as far away from the kid as possible. It had been a long time since he had taken the boat to the Gibraltar Watchpoint, so long that he could barely even remember it. They had usually flown in and out, a much easier method in his opinion. 

When the boat finally docked, Jesse was the last to get off, a habit he had picked up since some bastard had tried to tackle him from behind after getting off a plane. The omnic captain of the boat reminded him that he’d be leaving in two hours and after that there wouldn’t be another boat until Monday. It was a good thing he didn’t exactly plan on leaving just yet.

The route to the Watchpoint seemed a lot more difficult since the last time he had been to Gibraltar. It was scorching hot, meaning he had to retrieve his hat from his bag in an attempt to shield his face from the sun. He went over his ankle a couple of times, cursing Winston for deciding this was the base to bring back online. Why couldn’t he have chosen one with easier access, or at least not on a literal rock? Jesse had always liked the Canadian base. Out of all the places he had been stationed, it had the best canteen. He had been stationed there when he turned twenty-one and Gabe had arranged for a birthday cake to be made. It was the best cake he had ever had.

The perimeter of the base was surrounded with barbed wire, covered in various ‘keep out’ notices and a few reminding him of that ridiculous Petras Act. Jesse rolled his eyes and wandered around until he found a large gap in the wire. He crept through it and made his way towards the main building, squinting up at one of the windows where he swore he could see someone watching him. There was a small buzzer beside the door. The button was illuminated with a glowing light, meaning the power was definitely on.

**(Jesse still wasn’t entirely sure if this was a trap or not)**

As soon as he pressed the button, a familiar voice answered. “Please state your name.”

“The name’s McCree,” Jesse replied, “that you Athena?”

There was a beeping noise and the door opened. “Welcome to Watchpoint Gibraltar, Agent Jesse McCree.”

Jesse grinned and tipped his hat to the buzzer. “Thank ya kindly Athena.” He had barely made it two steps into the base before he was tackled almost to the ground by a squealing blue blur. “Christ! Lena?”

He had met Lena towards the end of his time at Overwatch and had grown fond of the girl, despite the fact she was constantly moving too fast for him to keep track of. She filled the hole that Fareeha had left and Jesse soon found himself trying to look after the ridiculous girl, even though there was practically a language barrier between them. He had always struggled to understand British accents and Lena’s was one of the more confusing.

“Hi Jesse! We didn’t think you’d _ever_ get here!” She was practically bouncing. “You have to come see Winston and then I’ll introduce you to everybody!” She dragged him off, up too many staircases, faster than his legs could take him.

**(He nearly fell flat on his face. Twice)**

Winston was just as awkward and bumbling as Jesse remembered. He rambled through everything that was happening, mentioned some of the newer recruits, thanked him several times for answering the recall, went off on a complete tangent about some attack on the Watchpoint that had triggered all of this. Jesse barely listened, letting his eyes wander around the room. There was a huge pile of red peanut butter lids on the desk, spilling onto the ground where a bunch of unopened jars sat by a stack of books and a wilting house plant. He had only been back in Overwatch for five minutes and already he was back to ignoring his commander.

“So Agent McCree, do you have any questions?”

Ah, that was the one question that Jesse had been waiting for this whole time. “Yeah, I do.” He looked back to Winston, sitting up straight and switching on the smile that Ana had always said would break hearts and give orders. “I’m givin’ ya the chance to make someone’s _lifelong_ _dream_ come true here, Winston. Any chance you can recruit my sister?”

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Overwatch fic so I'm sorry if things are a lil ooc! I just rlly like the sibling dynamic between Jesse and Fareeha and I also love both of them with all my heart.  
> You can find me at [my tumblr](http://picturefirelizards.tumblr.com/)where I yell about Overwatch sometimes.


End file.
